A Single Tear
by mideoyo
Summary: Chihiro and Haku's destinies are entwined closely by a single tear. The time has come for Chihiro to discover the purpose of her connection with Haku, and Haku to realize his true powers.
1. The Nameless Fear Of The Dream

Hello everyone! This is my first ever FANFIC! (clapclapclap) Anyway, I was going to do something on Bleach or Naruto or Full Moon, or whatever, but I decided to start with something slightly smaller. X) I love Spirited Away!!!! Actually, I like a lot of anime/manga. :)

I don't mind flames, but nothing terrible, please. But please be honest. (Yes, it is possible not to be terrible and honest at the same time.) Um… yeah, please review! I really want to know what others think about my work since I want to be an author one day (squeal! jks)

By the way, I don't own Spirited Away.

And please remember, this is my first time actually writing something public like this, so please give me feedback! I'll review yours if you do! ;)

* * *

_Whatever you do, don't look back… don't look back… _

"Haku!" Chihiro sits up suddenly in bed, panting.

What was this feeling of dread and fear? Could it be…

"Something's happened to him!" she clutched the thin purple hair band around her wrist. It was growing worn, but she never took it off. It was her only link to the Spirit World; the one reminder that it hadn't been a mere hallucination.

Until now.

She had had a dream. A dream so vivid it had taken her breath away. Haku lying there, bleeding in his dragon form. Blood gushing from his mouth.

Could he be inflicted with a curse again? But… she'd saved him from it last time! The pill from the River God! She'd broken the curse with … love.

Of course she loved Haku. She just wasn't sure what kind of love it was. Had anything changed? Was it still a brother-sister love? Or had it evolved to something else?

She shook her head frantically to clear the thoughts. Those things didn't matter. The way she saw it, there were 2 facts:

Haku was in trouble.

She was going to save him, no matter what!

And that meant… returning to the Spirit World.

A shiver of anticipation thrilled though her. She was excited to see to be able to see Lin, No Face, Boh, Kamaji, and Zeniba again, but the feeling was quickly squashed by fear for Haku.

A year had passed since her adventure, and normal life was boring Chihiro to death. She was more than ready for something new—no matter what that might be.

She flipped back the covers and stood to get a better view of the clock.

"1:15. Wow," Chihiro rubbed at her face. "It is pretty early." She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

A pale, bright-eyed girl with chocolate brown hair and eyes greeted her in the mirror. Chihiro pulled at her cheeks, putting some colour into them. Her face had lost some baby fat, giving her a older and more mature look. Her body, though, absolutely refused to grow taller than her skinny 4' frame. It was frustrating, how she was 11 years old already and her friends at school—well, not friends, exactly, but classmates, all towered over at school.

She was a sort of loner at school. She had lost touch with her friends from her old town, too. Having Haku, Lin, and the others was good enough for her.

She crept out of the bathroom, careful not to make any noise that might wake her parents.

Not that it would have made a difference. Since turning back to humans after being pigs for such a long time, both had inherited some pig-like qualities. Now was one the times Chihiro was actually glad for it. Both of them slept extremely soundly.

It only took Chihiro 5 minutes to get ready and slip silently out the door. The night was warm, and the sky was aglow with stars. She smiled slightly and set off across the field between her house and the Spirit World.

A happy spirit guarded the portal. The 11-year-old patted the head of the smiling statue and took a deep breath. The she stepped into the blackness of the gate.

The first sound she heard was the train…


	2. Into The Spirit World

Hello all my adoring fans! xD Joking!  
Anyway, it has been FOREVER since my last update, and I am very very sorry about that—I did warn you though! Ah, high school! DX  
I hope you guys haven't given up hope for me! ;)  
Well, now let's go on with the story.

* * *

The first sound she heard was the train...

There was a dim light ahead. Chihiro walked slowly, her footsteps echoing in the damp tunnel, remembering the time she had held onto her mother's arm when they were entering and leaving. The first time she had held on because of fear, the second time to avoid looking back.

The circle of light at the end of the tunnel grew bigger, and at last Chihiro stepped into the night.She glanced at her watch. It had stopped ticking and the time now rested on 1:30.

Looking around she was relieved to see that nothing had changed. Green grass covered a soft hilly landscape. As she walked, she came upon the river. This river flowed only in the nighttime. In sunlight, the water disappeared. This was, Chihiro knew, because the Spirit Word came alive in the dark and slept when dawn emerged.

Chihiro shook her head.. 'I can't daydream now!' She said frantically. 'Haku's in touble!'

She took her shoes off and put them along with her socks in her –thank goodness—waterproof bag. Holding the strap by her teeth, she dove in. The water was warm and clear; when Chihiro dipped her head into it tasted sweet.

When she touched shore on the other side and scrambled onto the bank, she found her clothes completely dry.

She smiled and set on her way.


	3. Unnoticed

Konnichiwa, minna-san!

Sumimasen (Sorry) for making the last chapter so short! xD I didn't realize how abbreviated it was until I saw the real thing… Oh well, to make it up to you, I'll upload another chapter on the very next day!

* * *

The streets moved with shadowy figures and tantalizing scents arose from the food stalls. Chihiro walked on, her eyes meeting no one else's. Her destination loomed in front of her—Yubaba's bathhouse! 

But Chihiro was not fool enough to dash across the bridge right away. Crossing into the Spirit World for a human was very dangerous. Few ever ventured into it and came beack unscathed. Those who did were very, very fortunate, like Chihiro. And yet, here she was once again!

It was risky of her to come fo her own free will, for if Yubaba got her hands on Chihiro once aain, there was o telling what she would do! For it could not be denied that Yubaba was a cold and cruel woman, as heartless as she was wily. And she also hated to lose.

Chihiro looked for a way to Kamaji's boiler room. Maybe he could offer some help to her. She clutched her bag and wondered longingly where Haku was. He could have led her into the bathhouse with no problem. (She had practiced holding her breath.) She placed a hand over her eyes in despair—and gasped.

She was transparent!

Chihiro had forgotten one very important thing—a human who does not eat some of the Spirit's food within 1 hour will slowly disappear.

This had happened to her before, on her first adventure to the World of the Spirits, but Haku had been there to help her.

"Haku," she whispered brokenly. "Where are you?"

Chihiro turned around, expecting to see him appear, smiling gently, but no one was there. She did, however, spot a berry bush. Quickly, she plucked some and stuffed them into her mouth. Immediately she felt perfectly fine.

She continued to search for a safe path into the bathhouse. Finding none, she was faced with the two choices: a) crossing the bridge (and risk being caught), or b) climbing under y the rails of the bridge, which extended some distance under the wooden slats risking a terrible death if she fell).

Chihiro chose to climb under. Hoping no one would notice, she darted behind the bushes to the edge of the bridge, where the Frog-men were welcoming the guests. She almost wept with gratitude when she saw a conveniently sized plant, just where the bridge began, thus giving her an escape plan, instead of running out in the open.

She squeezed behind the flowery mass of leaves and reached for the thick red painted wooden rail. Grasping it, she eased her foot onto the lower beam and ever so slowly, transferred her weight on to the sturdy bridge.

A breeze ruffled her hair. She froze as she heard one of the Frogmen say, "Do you smell that?"

"What?"

"A whiff of_human_—ow!"

"Another of your pranks now, is it?" his partner smacked him on the head. "I don't smell anything!"

"'Cause you've got a cold, that's why! I say we report this to Yubaba-sama!"

Chihiro bit her lip as the two Ushers bickered on. It would be troublesome if her presence was suspected. She inched away from them, but she was still close enough to hear them say,

"Fine, I'll leave it be for now." The first Frog-mean acquiesced ungracefully. "But I tell you, you're going to regret this! Remember last time? That Sen girl? All the trouble she caused!"

"The only reason _you_think that is because you're in love with Yubaba," the other Frog-man said harshly. "Personally, I think she was quite a nice girl."

The said "nice girl" grinned to herself as she moved further away. She was nearly halfway when the train whistled through the underground tunnel. She stopped to watch as the bright yellow headlight cut its way through the fog that surrounded the water its track was on. Then she continued climbing.

At last, the other side made itself known to her by prickling her face with tall grasses. She managed to pull herself up, unnoticed by the passing customers of the bathhouse. Creeping softly on all fours, she pulled the small watergate of the garden open and slipped in.

The hydrangeas were in full bloom, but Chihiro took no notice. She continued on to the long, long staircase at the side of the building. This time, she didn't fall.

The rusty green door awaited…


End file.
